Leading pressures

Brandon Garrison (left) and Brennan Head, of Lafayette, La., prepare for take-off on day two.

August 6, 2005
by Rob Newell

GALVESTON, Texas - Brandon Garrison and Brennan Head are leading the FLW Redfish Series Western out of Galveston Bay this morning. But if the young redfish team had their choice, they would probably rather be lurking back in fifth or sixth place where they could fly under the radar but still be in striking distance of the win.

At this morning's takeoff, Head and Garrison shouldered the pressures of being the leaders, and the attention that comes with it.

Instead of making last minute tackle preparations and going over their game plan in detail, the team was working with Fox Sports Net camera crews to figure out how to get into their ultra-skinny fishing area while being filmed for national television.

"It adds a whole other element that we didn't have to worry about yesterday," Head said. "We are thrilled to have the coverage, but it presents some new challenges."

Garrison and Head already have the cards stacked against them. For starters, they are making a 75 mile run (150 miles roundtrip) to their fish.

Once they get there, the team must shimmy under a bridge and then scoot over mere inches of water to get to their primary area that produced 15 pounds, 12 ounces yesterday. Then there is the issue of fueling up on the way back

When it's all said and done, the team has just 2-1/2 hours to fish - and that's only if everything goes according to plan.

Yesterday, all did not go exactly right when Garrison and Head pulled into the marina where they planned to fuel up and the station attendant had hung the "gone to lunch" sign in the window.

"At that point I figured we would run out of gas (as happened to several teams yesterday) with 15 pounds of redfish in our well, but we made it all the way back to the next closest marina," Garrison said. "When preparing for these tournaments, you try to think of every possible situation that could arise and how to diffuse it. But there is always something you didn't think of - like the gas guy going to lunch."

"And the more things you add to the plan, the riskier it gets," Head added. "It's the nature of the game."

The final weigh-in for the FLW Redfish Series Western will be held a 3 p.m. at Teakwood Marina located at 400 Tiki Dr. in Galveston.

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